Seattle Subsonic

Battle of the Initialed: KHV v. PMPH

March 23rd, 2009

While the two bands could not be more different sounding, Katharine Hepburn’s Voice and PartMan PartHorse are, in fact, quite friendly with each other. They often tour together (such as their upcoming WA/OR/CA trip), and one can often find members of each cheering on the other during shows. So while there was no physical battle involved, their show at the Sunset this past Friday provided a battleground for the sonic senses, pitting PMPH’s well-documented sex-punk sideshow with KHV’s tender, lo-fi electro-ditties.

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Would the onstage flamboyance of Gary Smith, aka “The Most Nakedest Man In Seattle”, outshine the endearingly self-deprecating goofiness of KHV’s singer/keywoman Shannon Perry? Would “The Perfect Squall”—aka guitarist Marshall Nall (rhyme it)—wield his metallic axe more triumphantly than KHV’s minimalist drum-master Davidson W. Burnam? Would KHV’s understated funk-apprentice Eli Chuckovich bend his bass to the level of Rachel Ratner’s fractured, weirdo-grooves? All fair questions, I think.

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Perry was slightly hilarious in constantly referring to her “sweaty” and “gross” hands (“but that’s not the reason for all the mess ups”), and other comedic anecdotes I can’t remember. Smith, starting shows with less and less clothing these days, seemed a bit more tame than usual, but provided the accustomed spectacle nonetheless. When prodded to play his recent song mocking other Seattle bands, he respectfully declined. Nall, playing an unforeseen Hayman 2020, scratched and scathed with a higher dose of wizardry than normal. I was continually impressed with Burnam’s drumming, however, and his rhythmic, rapid fire tactics were fun to watch. In the “bass-player arena”, Chuckovich really pumped some life into KHV’s songs with a bevy of classic funkdafied rhythms. Ratner, as usual, excelled at permeating her band’s songs with irregular synth pulses and splintered measures.

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Well, they say “you have to lose the battle to win the war” (or thereabouts), but that doesn’t really apply here because I’d call this a push; I just had to work in that quote somehow. I’ve praised PMPH plenty in the past, but I really enjoyed KHV’s set. And although I focused on Perry’s comedic value above, her band’s intimate and unadorned tunes rest well on the ears. “Crushin’ Out”, for example, recalls a collaboration between Broadcast and Chan Marshall. Their new album Stand Up is now available for purchase, though I’m not sure where. Check your local record store, or else email ‘em.

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